Friday, January 20, 2017

When I photograph weddings, I usually have a really good idea of what's going on and what will happen next. (I'd better - that's the job, right?) This wedding was full of surprises for me, and so absolutely beautiful and different and interesting that I have a million pictures to post.

Nepali weddings take place on auspicious days and time. This ceremony, at the bride's parents' home, started bright and early - in fact when I got there the monk had already been chanting for some time.

While the bride got ready,

The groom was seated downstairs.

The bride's entrance - beautiful.

Everything about the ceremony was really interesting to me, but since it wasn't in English, I didn't understand a great deal of it. One thing that was different is that the guests weren't necessarily watching the whole time, and it is a lengthy ceremony. People moved around and came and went while the monk chanted.

From the research I've done, there are lots of different traditions for
Nepalese weddings, and which you choose to incorporate just depends on
your background and beliefs.

The rings were blessed and exchanged.

Exchanging flower garlands is an important part of the ceremony.

They are officially married, and they change seats and get settled.

I think this is my favorite picture from the whole weekend.

Next, their family and friends gave them blessings and gifts.

Then we all went outside and took a million different combinations of portraits of family and friends. I won't post too many of them, but they are so bright and colorful!

I loved the flags on the balcony.

After this it was time for lunch. The bride's parents own the Namaste restaurants in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, and the food was amazing!

The reception was the next evening, and it was another amazing event for me! I have just one or two pictures to share. (Ha.) The bride had yet another gorgeous gown.

The next treat was a dance performance by several guests. I was texting my husband between pictures about how cool these were!

Then cutting the cake. I have completely fallen in love with red as a wedding color!

And the evening finished up with a great mix of dancing.

I think this might be my longest blog post ever. The whole experience was so unusual and wonderful for me that I guess I wanted to share as much of the story as I could.

I only photograph a few weddings each year. I know there is more than one of schools of thought when it comes to hiring a wedding photographer - some people prefer to hire someone that does this every weekend, and I totally get that. However, I can tell you that that wouldn't work for me - by limiting the number of weddings I do, it stays fresh and fun for me, and I'm able to give you the best possible photography and customer service.

If you're interested in talking to me about your wedding photography, give me a call and we can talk about
your date and what your photography needs and wishes are. I prefer to
meet with my wedding clients in person before we sign a contract, to
make sure that I'll be a good fit for your needs. You can see my prices and more information about my wedding packages here, or give me a call and I'd love to answer any questions that you might have.